MILLIONAIRE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• If you're making the shortbread from scratch then start here:.
• Beat the butter with a wooden spoon to soften it.
• Beat in the sugar, followed by the flour (sifted to avoid awkward lumps).
• Work the ingredients, first with the spoon, then with your hands, until you have a soft dough that completely stays together without leaving bits in the bowl.
• Divide the dough into two equal sized pieces.
• Transfer the dough to a flat surface and roll out lightly until it 5mm to a centimetre thick.
• Place each half of the dough into a separate 9 inch square tin.
• Prick the shortbread all over with a fork.
• Cook the shortbread in a very low oven (300F, 150C, GM2) for 50 minutes.
• The shortbread will almost certainly not go hard while still in the oven. It needs to cool before it firms up.
• If you have bought 400g of shortbread:.
• Place the shortbread in a sandwich bag and bash with a rolling pin until you have a bag of biscuit crumbs.
• Melt 50g of butter, add the shortbread crumbs and mix inches.
• Press into the bottom of the two 9 inch square tins and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• To make the caramel:.
• Place the butter and sugar into a pan over a medium heat and stir until butter is melted and sugar dissolved.
• Add the can of sweetened condensed milk.
• Increase the heat and stir vigorously until the mixture just begins to boil.
• Important: It will look like there is a massive excess of melted butter floating on the top. If you remove this the mixture WILL NOT SET so LEAVE IT THERE!
• Just as the mixture begins to boil (i.e. you see the first big bubbles break the surface) remove from the heat and continue to stir vigorously for 2 minutes.
• Pour the caramel over the chilled shortbread, and leave to set for 20 minutes.
• To finish:.
• Melt 400g of milk chocolate in a glass bowl over boiling water. (For the best result, break the chocolate into pieces no smaller than 1 inch square, heat water until it is at a rolling boil, add chocolate, and then reduce to a simmer with only a few large bubbles and DO NOT TOUCH until most of the chocolate has melted).
• Pour over the shortbread.
• Now refrigerate for several hours until set.
• Score each tin into 24 pieces.